Valve for beer-coolers



-(No Model.)

' M. BBNSINGBR. n

VALVE FDR BEER GOOLERS.

PatentedA'pr.- .19, 1892 ATENT FFICF MOSES BENSINGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VALVE FOR BEER-oooLERs.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 473,248, dated April 19, 1892.

Appncaion flied December 15,1891. seria No, 415,199. (No model.) v

To all whom it may concern:

Be itv known that I, Moses BENSINGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves for Beer-Coolers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation of a portion of a beer-cooler. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail, being a partial vertical section on line 2 2 of Fig. I. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail, being an elevation of the valve, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail, being a horizontal section on line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Itis well known that it is customary to keep beer cool by placing the kegs in a refrigerator or cooler, the beer being drawn from the kegs without removing them from the cooler through cocks leading into thekegs and which pass through openings made in the refrigerator to the outside.

My invention relates to valves for closing the opening provided in beer-coolers for the reception of the cock of a beer-keg after it has been introduced into the cooler. In beercoolers provided with an opening of the above description, when the keg has been removed from the cooler, the opening is uncovered and warm air may readily pass to the inside of the refrigerator, causing a great Waste of ice.

The object of my invention is to provide a valve for use upon refrigerators which will automatically operate to close the opening above referred to whenever the keg is removed. I accomplish this object as hereinafter specified and as illustrated in the drawings.

That which I regard as new will be pointed out iu the claims.

In the drawings, a indicates the refrigerator, of which h is the door, swinging on hinges in the usual manner.

c indicates an opening for the reception of the cock of a beer-keg.

d indicates a U-shaped plate, which may be made of any suitable material, and is adapted to tit into the opening c, as best shown in Fig. 2. The plate d is provided with a flange @,by means of which it is adapted to be securedupon the face of the beer-cooler by screws e or in any other suitable manner. When placed in position, the curved portion of the plate d is at the bottom and the sides of the plate are vertical. v

ff indicate vertical grooves or slots formed in the inner edges of the plate d, as best shown in Fig. 4 and by dotted lines in Fig. 3. The slots f f extend from the upper ends of the plate d to about the point where the curved portion of the plate begins, as shown.

g indicates a sheet of rubber, leather, or other suitable material having a semicircular opening. The sheet gis secured in the lower curved end of the plated in such position that the edge of the opening in said sl1eet will lie parallel with the inner edge of the plate d. The size of the sheet g is vsuch that it will extend upward to about the point,

'where the curved portion of the plate CZ begins, as best shown in Fig. 3. The sheet g is secured in place by means of a semicircular strip d', which is adapted to fit upon the lower portion of the plate d and is secured thereupon by means of screws c The outer portion of the sheet gis placed upon the plate d, and the piece d is then placed over it and secured by means of the screws d, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

h indicates a circular clack-valve, which is somewhat larger than the opening in the rubber sheet, but is adapted to t inside the plate CZ, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The valve h is hinged at h to the sliding piece 'L'. The piece z' is of such width that it will slide in the grooves f f in the opposite sides of the plate d, and the lower portion of the piece t is semicircular and adapted to form a circle with the lower portion of the plate CZ. When the piece t' is in position in the plate cl, the Valve h will rest upon the sheet g over the opening therein, as best shown in Fig. 2.

g indicates a second sheet of rubber, leather, or other suitable material, which is provided with a semicircular opening at its lower end adapted to register with the opening in the sheet g to forma circular opening. (Indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3.)A The sheet g is secured upon the lower portion of the piece i by means of' a detachable plate i',

IOO

which is secured upon the main portion of the piece z' by means of screws 7s. The plate 'i' is curved similarly to the piece t'.

j :indicates a plate having a flange j, by means of which it is adapted to be secured upon the portion of the door Z9 of the beercooler over the opening c. Then the door I) is closed, the fiangej lies immediately over the piece e' and holds it firmly in position.

It is customary to insert a cock into the end of a beer-keg and then place it in the beercooler, the cock extending out of the beercooler, so that the beer may be drawn without opening the cooler. "With my improved device, to place a keg in the cooler the door b is opened and the piece z', with the valve 7L and sheet g', is removed. The cock of the beenkeg is then placed so that it will rest in the plate (Z. The piece t, with the attached valve and rubber g', is then slipped into the slots ff, when the door b is closed, and the sheets g g will lie in close contact with the cock and hermetically seal the cooler. rlhe valve 7L will then lie in a horizontal position in the upper part of the opening e. When the keg is removed, which may be done by p said piece, plate t" for supporting said packopening the door b and removing the piece 2, if it is notdesired to introduce another keg into the cooler the piece 'L' is replaced in the slots ff. The valve 7L will then fall by its own weight to-a vertical position and Will rest upon the inner surface of the sheets g g', and the opening into the interior of the cooler will thereby be closed and the in gross of warm air prevented.

The valve h is preferably made ofthe shape shown in the drawings; but it may be made of any other suitable shape.

That which I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a beer-cooler having an opening c, of a U-shaped plate d, having slots f f, removable piece fi, adapted to move in said slots, whereby said piece may be removed to permit of the insertion of a cock, and a valve 7L, carried by said piece, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, witha U-shaped plate itl, having slots f f, a removable piece t',

adapted to move in said slots, whereby said piece may be removed to permit of the inser- `tion of a cock, and a clack-valve h, carried by said piece fz, of sheets g g', secured to the plate d and piece z', substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, with a plate (Z, having a flange e, a packing-sheet g, a strip d', and

. slots f f in said plate (Z, of a removable piece 7l, adapted to move in said slots, whereby said piece may be removed to permit of the insertion of a cock, packing-sheet g', attached to ing-sheet g upon the piece t, and a valve h, hinged to said piece t and adapted to hang in a vertical position, substantially as described.

- MOSES BENSINGER.

Vituesses:

A. ERBE, Jr., SAUL E. IIEED. 

